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Sports Superheroes: Comparing Athletes to Fictional Heros

Whenever we speak of sports there is always the comparison of our favorite players to fictional figures. You always hear comparisons of guys being like Superman or guys being as strong as the Hulk, so today, I’m going to try and match up some of these super hero faces to real life sports names. Here is my list of some superhero sports starts:

Superman – LeBron James

This comparison stemmed from a number of different traits I found similar between the two. First off, their personalitites. Superman tends to be a normal guy (Clark Kent) until stepping into the phone booth and suddenly emerging as the superhero we all are in awe of and love. For LeBron, there is a lot of similarity here. On the daily basis, he interacts with fans on Twitter, Facebook, posts awesome pictures on Instagram, and just seems like that regular guy, just pedaling his bike to work. Then, all of a sudden, he emerges on the court as this unstoppable force, with brute strength and the amazing skill to just float in the air, as if flying. Exactly the same as Superman. Put on the cape, and he becomes a man of power and the ability to fly through the air and save people. All in all, these two seem to be made for each other and were ultimately the ideal comparison.

Captain America – Adrian Peterson

This comparison was tough to make, but in the end, they actually had some very interesting similarities. The main one being, both excelled after “experimentation.” If you remember, Captain America’s alter ego Steve Rogers was part of an experiment that enhanced him into the peak human being form that he used to fight evil. Similarity, Adrian Peterson underwent surgery for a torn ACL in December of 2011, with people saying his career might be over, he comes back less than a year later and just goes for 2097 yards, 13 TDs, and 348 carries, his most since 2008. Oh yeah, did I mention he won the league MVP award? Now that’s superhuman. This is why I feel this comparison is pretty interesting and accurate.

Hulk – Ray Lewis

This one was probably toughest of them all. Here I debated putting Patrick Willis, Haloti Ngata, Laron Landry, Rob Gronkowski, and even Brandon Jacobs. But for some reason, I kept thinking of Ray Lewis. Maybe it’s that I’m deathly afraid of him, maybe it’s all the NFL players that are afraid of him, or maybe it’s just the fact that this guy hits HARD. Year after year I watch Ravens games and he just simply demolishes people with his brute strength. Along with this, in his prime, he could get from sideline to sideline in amazing speed. All of which make him an equal comparison to the Hulk. Brute strength, speed, power, and the fact that most people are deathly afraid of them pretty much sums this up for me.

Flash – Steph Curry

This one was pretty eminent to me from the get-go. Watching Steph play this summer, he is extremely similar to Flash. First off, his quickness. Steph has some of the leagues best handles and his moves seem to just stun defenders as the glides past them to the rim. Along with this, he just has that elusiveness that makes him so great and fun to watch. You see him spinning around, shifting his body, and somehow always getting a shot off or getting to the rim. But most importantly, they are both fast. When you see Steph grab a rebound or an outlet pass, he just seems to be a step ahead of everyone as he dribbles up the court. Similar to this, Flash just gets away and seems to have those incredible reflexes that will defy physics and make him have to ability to escape any and every situation. Therefore, these two have a lot in common and I feel are a great comparison.

Thor – Miguel Cabrera

Here is a random, but suitable comparison, in my opinion. The main reason for this was because of the hammer-to-bat comparison. Cabrera just seems to be destroying baseballs and opposing pitches alike with his bat. Belting 44 HRs, 139 RBIs, and a .606 slugging percentage, Cabrera was just unstoppable with his “hammer” last season. Pitchers were terrified of the triple crown winner last seasons, and they had a right to be. With his strength and power, along with his incredible use of the “hammer”, Cabrera seems to be the perfect comparison the Thor.

Batman and Robin – Payton and Eli Manning

This one was a little out of the box, but I like it. Both duos have their main heroes (Batman and Payton) along with their equally impressive co-stars (Robin and Eli). Both Batman and Payton have that uncanny ability to lead, making every situation seem as though they are in control and everything will be alright in the end. Along with this, both Batman and Payton have that ability to fight off evil and eventually save the day, or win the Super Bowl, in the end. Now, taking a look at the “other” hero. Both Robin and Eli have made a name for themselves. While generally not being seen as the best or most popular superhero or player, they both have done remarkable acts that have put them in the spotlight from time to time. While they are not really partners in crime together, Payton and Eli Manning are definitely a duo that has defied some odds and defeated evil.

So there it is, the Superhero Sports List. While I’m sure there will be disagreements, other possible suggestions, and spelling errors, I feel as though this list is pretty accurate. Please feel free to leave your suggestions and comments, I would to hear what better (or other) comparisons you can find between the sports world and the fictional comic world.